Mok'tal Oz KREE!
by ErinM
Summary: ...I don't think they bought my act. Why? Who'd you say you were? The... ah... Great and Powerful Oz..." -Daniel and Jacob, Tangent *post-series for Tin Man; post-series and Continuum for Stargate. *established Cain/DG; suggested Jack/Sam and Cam/Lam
1. Part 1

**Title**: Mok'tal Oz KREE! (01/02)  
**Author**: Erin (erinm_4600)  
**Characters, Pairing**: Cain/DG and SG-1 (with appearances by Raw, Glitch, the Queen, Landry and Walter, plus a few OCs and mentions of pretty much everyone else...)  
**Rating**: PG-13 barely  
**Summary**: "...I don't think they bought my act. _Why? Who'd you say you were?_ The... ah... Great and Powerful Oz..." -Daniel and Jacob, _Tangent_  
**Warning**: post-series for _Tin Man_; post-series and _Continuum_ for _Stargate_. For **purplerhino**, by way of **demilos_wagon** on LiveJournal. Looked over by **gatechic** and any remaining errors are mine.  
**Disclaimer**: _Stargate SG-1_ and all it's bits and pieces belong to the folks at Gekko, Showtime and Sci-Fi. As for _Tin Man_, the original characters belong to L. Frank Baum and their respective actors. The current characters belong to Sci-Fi, the movie folks and their respective actors. The OCs are mine.

"Son of a-" Daniel Jackson pushed back from his desk and stared at the computer screen, not actually seeing the dancing hieroglyph screensaver. He _had_ to have read that last part wrong.

Like, really wrong.

Really, REALLY wrong.

Frowning, Daniel glanced back to the pages of the open book and read the passage for a second time. They – okay: he'd – finally had time to sit down with the artifacts they'd found in Merlin's chamber and he'd been pouring through the texts, trying to learn as much as he could about the Ancients.

Well, the stuff he didn't already know, that is.

If Daniel didn't know that Jack O'Neill hadn't been on base for nearly five months, he'd assume that his best friend had something to do with it. But Jack couldn't read Ancient, let alone translate it.

Well, not any more.

As far as Daniel knew.

It had to be some sort of practical joke, Daniel decided. Of course, that would assume that any of the Ancients had a sense of humor.

At all.

Thor would tell him the truth... unfortunately, there was no Thor to talk to. He couldn't ask Selmak, either, which was also unfortunate, as they were two of the four non-humans Daniel trusted.

The other two being Teal'c and Bra'tac.

Teal'c didn't speak Ancient, but maybe he had heard something in his hundred and fifty-plus years. _'Surely he would have mentioned it,'_ Daniel thought. Especially knowing Jack.

Daniel shook the thought away and reread the passage again.

Many of the ancient races were based on the Ancients: the Norse gods, the Egyptian... Merlin. Why was this development so hard for him to believe?

"Because there's just no way," he said to the empty room while shaking his head. Daniel pushed his chair away from the desk and stood up, using a scrap of paper to mark the page. He'd ask Teal'c first, then – maybe – call Bra'tac.

But he'd never tell Jack.

**Never**.

As Daniel reached the door, he stopped and stared at the opposite wall for a moment as the memory came rushing back: sitting with Jacob on the bridge of that damn cargo ship. Jacob didn't act like he knew, though...

He'd been channeling smart-ass Jack... and if anyone was going to be anti-Ancient, wouldn't it be the Ori? Not Heru'ur's Jaffa...

He was going to have to tell Jack.

_'Aw, __**crap**__...'_

The Wizard of Freakin' Oz was an Ancient.

* * *

"Why are we here again?" DG asked Cain as she stepped up onto the wooden porch. She turned and found herself at just the right height to actually look the man in the eye. A smirk on his face, Cain leaned just close enough to make her twitch and he nodded once.

"Because the Queen of the Outer Zone sent us on a goodwill mission." DG raised her eyebrows slightly and forced a smile. She reached for his hand, not quite touching his, but still making contact.

"I thought," she mumbled through gritted teeth, "-that we were gonna hmm mh mh," she continued, giving him a look. DG pressed her tongue to her cheek and grinned as she leaned against him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"We are," he breathed, closing his eyes as her forehead pressed against his. His hands moved to her sides and her breath caught. "We just have to do this first," Cain informed her, leaning forward just enough let his lips touch her nose.

DG growled slightly and Cain pulled back. "Well, you're the fool who went and decided that you wanted to spend your honeymoon in the Southern Guild," she shrugged, not letting go of him. "Then you had to go and mention it to my mother," she said in exasperation.

"Hmm," was his only response. DG laughed as she watched his eyes narrow slightly. Did he really think that he was going to stare her into submission? That tactic failed not ten minutes after they met, for he caved and followed – or led, depending on one's point of view – her all over the Zone.

"I'll think you'll live," he informed her, nodding again. DG frowned as she let go of him and Cain sighed heavily. "You waited a whole annual, you can wait another hour," he stated, dropping his voice as she turned.

"What kind of calendar are you keeping?" she asked quickly, giving him a look. "A year," she laughed. DG spun back with a finger raised and a fierce look on her face, but she had no words to back it up.

They didn't wait a year.

_Maybe_ five months.

But, it had been a while, and it was their damn honeymoon. Sometimes, DG would rather she had told her family to enjoy the crown and she was going to retire to a fishing hut up at the Northern Island, with nothing but a space heater to keep her company.

Of course, the space heater would probably melt the ice, which would let her hut fall through the ice and she could see what life was like for a fish stick... No space heater; just a blanket.

A blanket named Wyatt Cain.

Of course, that amount of heat would melt the ice twice as fast because there had been **no** tension there. DG rolled her eyes at her internal monologue's oozing sarcasm as she pushed on the door and stepped into the magistrate's office.

* * *

"You're serious?" Samantha Carter asked as she stared over the work table. She gave Daniel a look and shook her head, glancing toward Teal'c, who was – surprise – stoic. "You're telling me that the-" Sam shook her head.

It was too ridiculous to admit out loud. There was no possible way that Oz was a real place.

Of course, Atlantis was real. Camelot was real. She'd been to 1969...

But it was _**Oz**_.

They made jokes about Dorothy and Oz and the Yellow Brick Road every chance they got. Hell, she'd been dubbed 'Dorothy' by Jack _and_ Cam.

"Look," Daniel sighed, pointing to the text. "I know how it sounds. But that's what it says." He shrugged and looked up to her. "With everything we've seen, Sam..." She let out a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"So how do we get to Oz, then, Daniel? I highly doubt you can predict a tornado as easily as a solar flare," she chided. "Hijack a rainbow? Do you have ruby slippers?"

Daniel shot her a dirty look. "Those could work," he nodded. "Or we could use the gate address," he snapped, pointing to the page. "And the shoes were silver," he mumbled under his breath as Sam leaned forward to see the coordinates.

Sam glanced up to him with a grin. "Nerd." She looked at the page for a moment then pushed back. "You seriously want to sell this to Landry?" she asked, wondering if they'd cart Daniel back to the psych ward.

"We've sold him on less," Daniel nodded and threw a look to Teal'c, who simply tilted his head. "And weirder," he added, glancing back to Sam. She laughed and shook her head.

General Hammond and her father would have loved to hear this one.

This would definitely be interesting...

"Are we waiting for Vala?" Sam asked a moment later, raising an eyebrow. Daniel snorted.

"I'll invite her and you can invite Jack," he snapped sarcastically. Subjecting anyone to Jack O'Neill and Vala Mal Doran and their combined humor was not something a new planet was ready for.

"Let's not and say we did," she replied, getting nods from both Daniel and Teal'c.

* * *

One hour and five minutes later, Cain and DG stepped out of the magistrate's office and back onto the wooden porch. It wasn't afternoon, but it wasn't yet evening. They still had a good half-day's journey before they reached Finaqua.

DG just wanted her honeymoon, and would gladly have taken a pup tent in the garden, which led to a rather awkward silence at dinner.

Cain caught DG's hand – which got a raised eyebrow from her, because he was always so very discreet in public – and he pulled her into the roadway. Nodding across the way, he tugged her hand and gave her a smile.

"We should eat. It'll be late by the time we get there," he explained, which got a nod from DG. As they reached the inn, DG laughed as she read the sign hanging over the door.

"The 'Meddling Dragon'?" she asked slowly. Cain glanced up to the sign and nodded.

_'Wow,'_ she mused.

* * *

"Chevron Six, locked," Walter announced as the gate continued to spin. SG-1 had managed to sell General Landry on the mission – after about twenty minutes of trying to convince him that they weren't joking – and there was a MALP on the ramp, ready to go through the gate.

As the gate spun, Walter turned back toward Landry, Carter and Daniel with a frown. "Chevron Seven will not lock." Landry nodded and turned to Sam as Walter shut down the dialing procedure.

Daniel looked at Sam and frowned. Much as he didn't want to admit it, the idea of Oz being real had sunk in and now he wouldn't see it. And if he was upset, Cameron Mitchell was going to be heartbroken.

On cue, Mitchell and Teal'c came into the control room and Cam frowned at the lack of blue shimmer coming from the gate. "What happened?" he asked, motioning to the window.

"No lock," Sam shrugged.

"Could be buried," Daniel offered, sharing a look with Cam.

"Why don't we just gate to the next planet over and take a jumper?" Cam suggested, raising an eyebrow. "We can scan from above and, if it looks like there's no threat..." Daniel turned and both men stared at Landry.

"You're not gonna let this go?" he asked, already knowing the answer. Daniel and Cam shook their heads together, as did Sam. Sighing, Landry shook his head. "Go," he said, raising a hand toward the gate.

"Dude, we're off to see the Wizard," Cam said, clapping a hand to Daniel's shoulder and giving him a shake. Sam shook her head, glared at her friends and moved over to Walter's side to find a planet with a functional gate.

Teal'c watched the men pass and disappear down the steps before moving to her side.

* * *

"We could keep traveling, y'know," DG whispered as Cain pulled out a chair for her. Cain let his hand rest on her back for a moment and leaned forward before moving around to his own chair.

"Are you really going to be in the mood for _dinner_ when we get to Finaqua?" he asked in a low tone, grinning slightly. DG raised her eyebrows, considering her answer, and realized that he was right; her pressing interest was not for food.

"Correct as usual, King Friday," she said with a heavy sigh and smiled as the hostess moved over to them.

* * *

"We're picking up heavy concentrations of naquadah here and here," Sam said, pointing to the jumper's viewscreen.

Cam nodded and took a hand off the controls to point at a third and fourth dot. "What are these?" Sam pressed a button and checked the readings.

"Also naquadah, but in a much smaller concentration," she said with a nod then glanced back to the readout. "And moving," she added with a confused frown.

"Moving?" Daniel asked, leaning forward to get a look at the screen. Sam shook her head and pressed another button.

"Looks like that one is in a populated area... and so is that one, whereas this one," she said, pointing to the far right dot. "-is... not." Cam and Daniel gave her a look and she shrugged.

"And that one?" Daniel asked, pointing to the upper dot, which was much brighter than the other three.

"By the numbers," Sam shrugged. "-and the location," she added, pointing out the viewscreen toward the mountain range in the far distance. "I'd say it's naturally-occurring and probably under the mountains."

"A mine?" Daniel asked.

"It's possible," Sam nodded.

"Judging by the landscape here," Cam offered, waving toward the trees. "-I'd say that one's probably the gate," he said with a nod to the far dot.

"Agreed." Sam glanced back to the readout and nodded to herself for a moment. "Gate's a little far from the population," she mused.

"Maybe they are not aware of the Stargate's existence," Teal'c offered from behind Cam.

Sam turned to him and nodded. "You're probably right, Teal'c. Wouldn't be the first time we've come across a civilization that-" The sensor beeped again and Sam went back to the readout. "How are they moving?" she asked, not expecting an answer.

"Well, let's go see," Cam stated and adjusted course. Sam raised an eyebrow and he shrugged. "What? Best to check in with the locals anyway, right. Make sure they haven't been visited by the Ori or the Goa'uld lately..." Sam shrugged and Daniel nodded then returned to his seat.

"Better put us down outside of town, so we don't scare them," Sam added a moment later. Cam threw her a dirty look and shook his head. She simply smiled.

"What are we gonna do if they _have_ seen a Prior?" Daniel asked with a frown.

Cam tried not to smile and dead-panned: "Ding Dong, the witch is dead?" Sam groaned and Daniel rolled his eyes.

* * *

DG and Cain had taken to trying to stare each other down across the table, breaking when the hostess came back with two mugs of the local brew, and again when she brought a tray of sliced meat and cheeses.

DG was currently trying to drive him absolutely mad simply by eating a carrot, and he was trying to think of different ways to make her pay later on. Unfortunately, his plotting was interrupted when a young man barreled into the tavern and leaned over the bar.

"Longcoats," he whispered loudly, which caused DG to turn, mid-chew, and Cain to sit up straight. The barman's eyes moved to Cain for a moment before he moved along the bar and headed for the door. DG spun back to look at Cain and noticed his brow was rather creased.

"Stay here," he snapped and pushed him from his seat, following after the barman and the boy. DG made a face and pushed up from her seat. Moving to the doorway, she leaned down to get a look at the intruders.

The four bodies didn't look like any Longcoats she'd ever seen.

"What's your business here?" another man from the small village asked, shotgun in his hand. Cain was on the porch next to the barman, cursing himself for not having his pistol. He'd never seen the kinds of weapons the four of them carried, but he could tell they weren't Longcoats.

In the middle of the street, SG-1 also had their weapons raised – defensively, the moment the first shotgun was trained on them, Cain noted – and Daniel raised one hand and over-exaggerated the motion of removing his finger from the trigger of his firearm. He took one step forward then jerked back again as those holding shotguns re-aimed.

"Okay," he breathed and nodded once. "My name is Doctor Daniel Jackson and we're peaceful explorers," he rattled off. The crowd on the porch shifted just enough to let DG get a clear view of the visitors.

_'Longcoats don't wear glasses... or carry handguns and machine guns,'_ her brain supplied quickly, taking in Daniel, then the guns in Sam and Cam's hands, then Sam. _'And they aren't girls,'_ she realized and shot a look across the roadway to the magistrate, who was stepping out with his own shotgun.

"Crap," she muttered and ducked around Cain and hurried into the middle of the street and threw her hands up, putting herself between SG-1 and most of the village. "All right, time out!" she ordered, knowing that Cain was probably having kittens up on the porch.

"Now," she said calmly and carefully. "-let's, _everybody_, just take a step back. Not you Team GI Joe," she added, raising a finger to SG-1. Her eyes were still locked on the two shotguns, but she could see Daniel turn to Cam with a look of confusion. Once she was content that no one was going to be shot – _'Yet.'_ – DG wagged her finger toward Daniel. "Start talkin' and I'd use real simple words."

Daniel was still focused on the two shotguns, while Cam was looking at everyone else, trying to count how many other weapons were trained on them. Sam was watching the white-haired man on the porch, who was staring daggers at the girl in front of them, while keeping one eye on the sensor in her hand.

"Uh..." Daniel stuttered, realizing that he couldn't actually bring himself to say the words. Ignoring the confusion at the girl's comments, he shot a look to Cam, who prodded him with a look and a shrug. "We, uh..." DG turned to look at him and raised an eyebrow, fighting the urge to tell him to 'use his words.'

"We are seeking the Wonderful Wizard of Oz," Teal'c finally replied, getting a rather comedic triple glare from his friends and a simple blink from DG.

DG sighed and dropped her hands. "Thank God," she laughed. "I have been waiting a _year_ for someone else to say that out loud."

DG waved to SG-1 and turned back toward Cain and the porch. "Come on, let's move this inside before the locals revolt," she said, not looking at Cain. Daniel shot a look to Sam and Cam and shrugged, falling into step behind DG.

Sam cocked her head as the dot moved when the girl did. Cain grabbed DG's arm and pulled her away. "What are you-" he started to ask through gritted teeth.

"Chill, Tin Man," she breathed. "I got this," she added with a nod toward the visitors. Cain glanced up to see Sam with a raised eyebrow – she'd heard DG's comment – and he sighed, stepping aside to let them pass.

DG wanted to laugh when she saw Cam poke Daniel and point to the sign. "Think they have ketchup?" Cam asked with a smile. Sam put her sensor back into her pocket after giving DG a look and nodded to Cain as she passed.

DG waved to the table she and Cain had been sitting at when SG-1 arrived and she pointed to the seats. Daniel and Cam looked at each other before sitting, while Sam and Teal'c continued to stand.

"All right," DG said, giving Cain another look. "Let's try this again." She waved to Daniel. "You said something about 'peaceful explorers'?" she offered, cocking her head slightly at the firearms.

"Uh, yeah..." Daniel drawled, looking down to his holstered weapon. "That's a long story."

"I'll bet it doesn't involve a twister," DG said with a forced smile.

SG-1 simply shook their heads.

"We're looking for a big ring," Cam said a moment later, holding his hands up to demonstrate. "Chappa'i... Ring of the Gods... Stargate?" he offered, getting nothing more than a blank look from DG. "Has a bunch of constellations on it. Kinda hard to miss," he said, leaning back.

"We picked up a signal to the south," Daniel offered, pointing toward the door. "Looked like it was behind the tree line, so it might not be out in the open." DG looked to Cain, knowing she hadn't seen the entire Zone. And the only thing she knew about to the south, other than Finaqua, was the cave.

"It seems," Sam started, "-that the legend of the Wizard is based on truth." She nodded to DG and continued: "The Stargate was built by a race known as the Ancients, and they seeded the galaxy with the ancestors of people from Earth." She noticed that the girl seemed more bothered by the term 'Ancients' than 'galaxy' and 'Earth', but said nothing.

"Did you say 'Ancients'?" DG asked, wringing her fingers together and looking at the floor. Sam nodded and Cain took a step toward DG. They were looking for the cave and, possibly, the witch.

"We've come across many civilizations where the locals have-" Daniel started then stopped short. "Have you had any visitors?" he fished. "Besides us, I mean." DG looked up and shook her head.

"I'm not exactly from this part of town," DG shrugged. "If this gate-thing is here, you'll have better luck with the magistrate. Well, I'd leave the firepower behind before I go," she offered. "Folks in these parts are still a little jumpy."

DG could feel Teal'c staring at her the entire time; Cain noticed it as well. "You are not from this planet," Teal'c finally announced, causing everyone to look at him.

"Planet?" DG asked, cocking her head to one side. Teal'c nodded once and DG shook her head.

"I am, actually. I just didn't grow up here, exactly," she added with a shrug. SG-1 looked back to her and she shrugged again. "Claflin, Kansas. Class of two thousand," she said with a nod.

"Auburn, class of eighty-seven," Cam said with a nod.

"Topeka?" DG asked with a half-raised eyebrow.

Cam nodded. "Barton?"

"Part-time," DG shrugged. "Marines?" she asked, nodding to their uniforms.

"Air Force," Cam said, shaking his head.

"Really?" DG asked, leaning back slightly.

"Okay," Cain huffed, stepping up to DG's side. "You're from the Other Side," he stated, raising a hand toward SG-1. Daniel and Sam looked at each other and mouthed 'other side' before looking back to Cain.

"It would appear so," DG replied. Cain leaned closer to her and nodded toward Cam.

"Everyone over there walk around that armed?"

"They're military, Cain."

"So am I, Princess," Cain snapped, holding his arms up.

"Princess?" Daniel asked, ignoring a look from Sam. DG and Cain turned to Daniel and she nodded.

"My mother is the Queen."

"Queen?" Sam asked.

"Like you said," DG nodded to Daniel. "Long story. Okay," she said, waving her hands. "Third time's a charm." Pointing to SG-1, she started pacing slightly. "You're from Earth, but you didn't travel by twister." They all shook their heads. "You're looking for a big, round thing that does what, exactly?"

"It creates a wormhole between two fixed points in space-" Sam rattled off before seeing the look on Daniel and Cain's faces. "It's a way to travel back to Earth," she said simply, not happy that she had to give such a generic description.

"And it has something to do with Ancients?" DG asked.

"They built the gates," Daniel offered.

"Not to mention, generally jacking up people's lives," Cam added under his breath.

"Like locking a wicked witch up in a cave at the beginning of time?" DG asked, sure she already knew the answer. The look of pondering on Daniel's face told DG everything she needed to know.

She was going to have to go back into the cave.

* * *

"Well, it's too late to try and head south tonight," Cain informed them, throwing a glance toward the doorway. They'd spent a good hour between DG's explanation of her bloodline and Dorothy being real, as well as a visit with the magistrate regarding Prior and System Lord visits, neither of which they'd experienced in the village.

"We have a ship," Sam replied. "We can be there in under half an hour," she suggested.

"A ship?" DG asked, raising an eyebrow.

"We call it a jumper," Cam offered. "Pretty much a spaceship." DG raised the other eyebrow but said nothing. After everything she'd seen in the last year, nothing would surprise her. Except, of course, for other folks from Earth dropping by to say 'Hi.'

DG glanced to Cain and the two had a silent conversation, culminating in Cain's head shaking side to side as DG's nodded. Cam was going to remind them both that their presence wasn't exactly needed in regard to finding the gate, but he didn't want to come off like a jerk.

"What will it hurt to go along?" DG asked Cain quietly. Cain leaned closer and shook his head.

"These people show up, saying they're from the Other Side and looking for a giant ring in the south, built by Ancients. Only one place that could be and I'm pretty sure you said you didn't want to go back there," he reminded her.

"I know," she nodded and placed a hand on his arm. "But if we can help them..."

"Help them do what, kiddo?" Cain shrugged.

"Get back home. And, if there's an easy way to go back and forth..." she mused, not wanting to sound anxious. "Think of it, Cain: we could bring technology here, trade goods back. You could see where I grew up and learned how to be a rebel," she added with a slight grin.

Cain's jaw clenched, knowing she'd get her way, regardless of his opinion on the matter and the huff let DG know she'd won the battle. She squeezed his arm and smiled, then turned back to SG-1. "Okay, we'll take you south."

"You don't have to-" Cam started, but stopped when DG raised her hands.

"We're headed south anyway," she assured him. "And we're pretty sure we know exactly where this ring-thing is." All of them noticed that her expression wasn't that of excitement, but no one commented on that fact.

"So much for a quiet honeymoon," Cain mumbled as his hand found hers and he gave it a slight squeeze. "We'll go first thing in the morning," he announced to the rest of the group.

"But-" Daniel started to protest.  
"Cain," DG groaned.

"No," Cain stated sharply. "I don't want _anyone_ in those woods in the dark," he said, giving a look to the room. He gave another look to DG and she knew better than to argue. He was just being cautious, and she nodded.

"He's right," she said, looking to SG-1. "I'm sure there's plenty of room," she added, throwing a glance over her shoulder to the barman. Sam and Cam gave each other a nod and Cam pushed up from his chair.

"Teal'c and I will take the jumper back, report to Landry." He turned and nodded to Teal'c, who replied with a simple nod. "We'll be back in time for Letterman," he added with a smirk, nodding to DG before moving to the doorway.

Sam and Daniel nodded to their friends as Cain moved over to the bar to arrange for quarters for the lot of them. DG puffed her cheeks and rocked on her heels slightly before giving a smile to Sam.

Sam returned the smile and fingered the sensor again. "DG," she started, wincing slightly as she pulled the sensor from its pouch. "May I-?" she asked, holding the thing up for DG to see.

DG shrugged and watched as Sam pressed a button, raised the device slowly and then held the thing up for Daniel to see. Daniel huffed and looked at Sam, who responded with a shrug before both of them looked to DG.

Sam put the device away and nodded to DG. "The Stargate is made up of an element we call naquadah. It's how we found the gate, actually," she nodded. "We also picked up a large concentration to the east..." Sam added, nodding behind her.

"West," DG corrected. Sam frowned slightly and turned to look at the wall as she tried to figure out which direction she'd just indicated. Daniel raised an eyebrow and they both look up as DG sighed. "Yeah... I live in a damn Jon Lovitz joke," she said with a forced smile.

"We call it Mori-tanium," she trailed off, turning to Cain as he stepped back to her side. "-tamium? -tanium..." DG shook her head and looked back to Sam and Daniel. "The mines are in the west."

Sam nodded; that answered the question about the large concentration. Shaking her head, Sam moved her hand back to the sensor. "We also picked up two other signals: one, between here and the... mine," she indicated with the slightest wave of her hand. She threw a tentative look to Daniel and his head tiled slightly.

"And the other, here," Sam said carefully, looking at DG.

"You mean me?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Cain grumbled slightly as Sam nodded. "Well, I don't know about the mines," DG shrugged. "-but if it's got something to do with the cave and me, then the other one is probably my sister."

"Or Glitch or me or Raw," Cain offered. They'd all been in the cave, after all.

"It's been a year, Cain," DG offered with a kind smile. "Annual," she corrected. "More likely it's something to do with the witch," she said quietly.

"Witch?" Daniel asked, not intending to eavesdrop and suddenly looking rather guilty.

DG nodded and moved over to lean against the back of the chair. "Yeah... there was a witch locked up in the cave. I kinda let her out and she possessed my sister," she said with a forced grin. Cain put a hand on DG's shoulder and she nodded.

"When you say 'possessed'," Daniel asked, giving Sam a quick look.

"She was there one minute, and then inside my sister, the next," DG shrugged.

Daniel didn't want to ask, but he had to know. "Did her eyes glow after?"

DG reared back slightly and shook her head. "No." Daniel shrugged and looked to Sam, knowing she'd been thinking the same thing.

Only the Goa'uld and the Tok'ra 'possessed' people, but there was always a symbiote involved. The Ori had the whole 'looking into the fire'-thing and the Ancients didn't possess, so much as go corporeal at will.

Well, not so much 'at will'...

* * *

About an hour later, Cain was listening to DG and Daniel discuss the differences between the history of the Zone she'd picked up over the last year versus what he'd learned from the books in the cave.

Mitchell and Teal'c came back into the tavern and nodded to Sam and Daniel. "Landry said to avoid the poppy fields," he announced.

"Papay," DG and Cain corrected him, which got a look from everyone and a smile from Sam.

"Anyway," Cam continued, shaking his head slightly. "-told him we'd call back in twenty-four, unless we find the gate first."

Sam nodded and fought a yawn, which prompted Cain to stand. "I wasn't sure how many rooms you needed," he said, motioning to the four visitors. "If you need a third," he nodded to Cam, Daniel and Teal'c. "-just let him know." Sam smiled and nodded to Daniel and Cam before taking a step toward DG and Cain.

"I've been up for three days, so I'm taking the offer," she said with a grin. Teal'c gave her a half-smile and nodded as she passed, joining Cain and DG at the end of the stairs.

"I could sleep," Cam announced, rolling his eyes at Daniel, who most definitely looked like he wanted to continue comparing legends. DG stepped over and put a hand on Daniel's arm.

"Tell you what, Doctor... you get some sleep now, and when we find your gate," she smiled. "You can come back and stay as long as you want. I'll take you to the library in Central City and we'll tour the whole Zone, see the sights." She grinned again and raised her eyebrows as she nodded.

"Really?" Daniel asked, ignoring the snicker from Sam as his eyes lit up. DG smiled again and held out her hand.

"Swear on the silver shoes." Daniel gave Sam a dirty look and took DG's hand.

"Deal."

* * *

Cain pushed into the room he and DG had been assigned by the barman and dropped the travel bag on the chair. DG pushed the door shut and leaned against it, saying nothing as she looked at him.

"Yes?" he asked, not turning to face her.

"Sorry," she said with a slight smile.

"It's not your fault," he breathed, turning finally to look at her. DG rested her head against the heavy wooden door and held a hand out to him. Cain stepped closer and took her hand as he leaned against her, pressing her against the door. His lips rested against her temple for a moment and his eyes closed.

DG stuck her head into the crook of Cain's neck and pressed light kisses to his skin, trailing along the collar of his shirt. His breath caught for a moment, but Cain wasn't going to let her get the best of him. "That was a stupid thing you did today, kiddo."

"What?" DG asked, assuming he meant throwing herself into the middle of a standoff, continuing to kiss his neck, moving up to his jaw.

"I told you to stay put and you just-" Cain's hands moved to her waist as DG's kisses traced his cheekbone and then caught the edge of his mouth.

"I didn't want anyone to get hurt," she mumbled between kisses starting to move up the other side of his face.

"You had no way of knowing-" he started, trying to remind himself that she wasn't going to win this argument by distracting him. He was furious and she was pushing every single button he had.

Problem was: she knew that.

"No one got hurt," DG whispered as her hands moved to his chest and started undoing his buttons. As the fabric separated, DG pressed light kisses to his chest. Cain was busy trying to work DG out of her dress, knowing that neither of them would be getting much sleep that evening.

"You trust these people?" Cain asked a moment later, after pushing DG away and locking his gaze on hers. DG's hand moved to his cheek, then down to his chest.

"Yes, I do," she assured him. He trusted her, so if she trusted them, he would, too. He gave her a nod and then raised his hand to the back of her head, pulling him toward her so he could kiss her.

They stumbled back to the bed together and spent the rest of the night wrapped in each other's arms, thinking of nothing but what was happening right then and there between the two of them.


	2. part 2

**Title**: Mok'tal Oz KREE! (02/02)  
**Author**: Erin (erinm_4600)  
**Characters, Pairing**: Cain/DG and SG-1 (with appearances by Raw, Glitch, the Queen, Landry and Walter, plus a few OCs and mentions of pretty much everyone else...)  
**Rating**: PG-13 barely  
**Summary**: "...I don't think they bought my act. _Why? Who'd you say you were?_ The... ah... Great and Powerful Oz..." -Daniel and Jacob, _Tangent_  
**Warning**: post-series for _Tin Man_; post-series and _Continuum_ for _Stargate_. For **purplerhino**, by way of **demilos_wagon** on LiveJournal. Looked over by **gatechic** and any remaining errors are mine.  
**Disclaimer**: _Stargate SG-1_ and all it's bits and pieces belong to the folks at Gekko, Showtime and Sci-Fi. As for _Tin Man_, the original characters belong to L. Frank Baum and their respective actors. The current characters belong to Sci-Fi, the movie folks and their respective actors. The OCs are mine.

DG was awoken by the slight tickle of Cain's breath on her neck. Smiling, her head turned slightly and DG opened her eyes to see Cain was still asleep, his arm wrapped around her, holding her tight.

"Good morning, Missus Cain," he said quietly, a slight smile on his lips.

"Good morning, Mister future-Queen," she breathed back, stretching just enough to press a kiss to the tip of his nose.

"How do you feel?" he asked as his eyes took in the sight of her.

"I feel very good, thank you," she said with a grin. Cain smiled and buried his nose just behind her ear.

"That's not what I meant, Princess." DG sighed and glanced down to his hand, taking it in her own.

"I'm going to the cave today," she said simply. Cain shifted and was now leaning over her, propping himself up against the mattress.

"You don't have to. I can take them." DG's hand moved to Cain's cheek again and she smiled as he turned to kiss her palm.

"It's all right," she assured him.

"Promise me that you'll get out if it becomes too much," Cain ordered. DG smiled again and nodded.

"I promise." Cain nodded once, content with her answer and glanced toward the window.

"Suns'll be up soon. We should probably get-" he started, looking to the trail of clothes between the door and the bed. DG reached up and pulled his face back to look at her.

"It's gonna be a long day, Cain... let's give them a few more minutes," she finished as a sly grin spread up her face. Cain raised an eyebrow and bit the inside of his cheek for a moment as he looked down to his wife.

It's not like the cave was going anywhere, after all.

* * *

"So," DG said, pulling a stalk of long grass free as she walked. "Colonel's like... up there, right?" she asked, turning to face Sam. Sam nodded and stepped around a rock.

"I'm a Lieutenant Colonel, actually," she smiled. DG nodded and turned again.

"How close are you to a General?" Sam threw a dirty look toward Daniel, who was holding his side and trying not to laugh.

"Still a way to go," Sam informed her, shaking her head as DG nodded toward Daniel. Cam, Cain and Teal'c were ahead of them by a few yards and both of the women felt bad for Cam - as he wanted to talk – because Cain and Teal'c weren't talkers.

Well, Cain was growing out of it, but he couldn't really answer half of Cam's questions, as he didn't know what Cam was talking about.

"So, how long have you been married?" Sam asked a moment later.

"About a week," DG shrugged. Sam stopped short for a moment but kept walking.

"Wow, I... I would have guessed a lot longer, judging by yesterday," she said with a slight laugh. DG nodded and looked sideways to Sam.

"We've know each other about a year, actually. But, that's just Cain," she added, waving toward the former-Tin Man. "And you?"

Sam shook her head. "I'm married to my job." She ignored another snort from Daniel and wondered if she could find a rock to throw at him. "Besides, my last two engagements didn't work out so well."

"Sorry to hear that," DG said with a soft smile. Sam shrugged.

"It's all right, really. The first one ended up thinking he was a god and the other one... well, that one was more me."

"Still," DG shook her head. Sam smiled again and threw a look toward Daniel. "How about you Doctor Jackson?" Daniel turned to look at DG. "Are you married?"

"I was," he said and DG noticed a sad smile pass between Sam and Daniel. "That's actually kinda how I got into this job," he nodded. "She, uh..." he laughed at the explanation.

"She was a gift," Sam informed DG when Daniel hemmed one second too long.

"A gift?" DG asked, raising an eyebrow in Daniel's direction.

"Yes," he nodded, turning a little pink. "It was our first trip through the gate and the local population thought we were gods, so-" he shrugged. "I ended up staying... and, about a year later, Jack and Sam showed up," he said with a wave to Sam. "And Sha're was taken by the Goa'uld and here we are." Daniel threw his hands up and spun around.

DG knew enough to know that it was probably not the best idea to press for too much information too soon, so she let the conversation end there. Glancing ahead of them, DG could see Cain and Teal'c nearing the tree line and she threw a glance over her shoulder to the palace of Finaqua.

They'd left the village that morning via the jumper, simply because DG didn't want them to tire out by traveling all the way south, then have to walk back to get to their ship. Neither she or Cain were too sure about the transportation, but it made more sense to leave the jumper at the palace and then walk to the cave.

Of course, it took a rough explanation of the iron suit when Cain refused to get into the large, metal tube, regardless of the standing room inside.

Cain had followed DG to the cave the first time, and that was an annual prior. He didn't want to admit that he couldn't remember which path, so he didn't. DG knew he wasn't waiting for the rest of them to catch up, but she was glad to let the others think that. She didn't want to head into the woods with so much distance between the two of them, anyway.

"It's this way," she nodded, letting her hand catch Cain's arm for a moment as they regrouped just past the first trees. They'd moved along in silence for a few minutes before DG couldn't take the quiet any longer. She threw a sideways glance to the Jaffa and nodded slightly.

"Mister Teal'c," she called to him with a smile. Teal'c gave her a slight smile and nodded once. "What do you do for fun?" Sam and Daniel smiled as Teal'c cocked his head, considering his response.

"I enjoy films."

DG grinned and turned to him. "Was the new _Indiana Jones_ awesome?" Daniel snorted and got a raised eyebrow from Teal'c and DG.

"What?" he asked, shrugging. "Seriously?" Daniel shook his head. Sam shook her head in DG's direction.

"We found a crystal skull a few years back. So, plot-wise, Daniel had some issues."

"But, it's Indiana Jones..." DG sighed and looked to Cain. "Have to be honest: his hat's cooler than yours," she said, giving him a shrug. Cain simply shook his head and pointed to a stump in front of DG.

"What about Sean Connery?" DG asked, turning back to Sam. At least she could swoon over the Jones boys with Sam, she figured. Sam shook her head.

"Just a photograph," she said with a sad smile. "But they mentioned him a few times."

"Sweet," DG smiled. She turned back to Teal'c and waved. "Any other good movies come out lately?" Teal'c tilted his head but didn't respond. "What's you favorite?" Teal'c eyes moved toward Daniel for a moment before a smile crept up his face.

"I prefer _Star Wars_, PrincessDG." DG looked away as the grin overtook her face and Cain actually smiled at the sight.

"Do you have a particular favorite?" she asked, giving Teal'c another smile.

"_The Empire Strikes Back_," Teal'c offered with a nod. "Do you have a favorite _Star Wars_, PrincessDG?" Teal'c asked.

"I'm an Ewok fan," she shrugged. Honestly, she didn't understand why so many people had a problem with the Ewoks. "Not only that," she continued, raising a finger. "I like Jar-Jar." Teal'c nodded slightly and DG turned around to look at the rest of SG-1.

"_Star Wars_," Sam nodded.

"_Jedi_," Cam replied, as if the answer was obvious. DG raised an eyebrow in Daniel's direction and Cain's hand moved to her back, directing her attention back to the path.

"I liked the mmhm," he trailed off, coughing slightly. Sam raised her hand to cover her smile as DG glanced back to Daniel. He was turning pink again and DG's eyes went wide.

"Oh... no," DG begged, shaking her head. Cam looked at Daniel and Sam turned away, still smiling. DG stepped in front of Daniel and stopped. "You'll rag on the plot holes of _Indiana Jones_, yet claim the _Star Wars __**Christmas Special**_ as your favorite?"

"Aww," Cam groaned as Sam snorted into her hand. Daniel's nostrils flared and he tilted his head in Sam's direction.

"How close are you to a General, again?" Sam stopped laughing rather quickly and cleared her throat. Daniel turned to Cam and continued: "And how close are you to a General's daughter?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hey, look! A tree," Cam said, turning away from Daniel and continuing along the path.

"They always like this?" Cain asked Teal'c, indicating the rest of SG-1 with a nod.

"Indeed," Teal'c responded.

* * *

A few minutes later, the group arrived at the entrance to the cave and Sam and Cam pulled out flashlights. DG and Cain stayed outside for a moment as Cam and Daniel headed in, followed by Sam. Teal'c stopped just inside the entrance, but said nothing.

"You sure about this?" Cain asked DG. She took a deep breath and nodded then turned to see Teal'c standing in the entrance.

"Are you all right, PrincessDG?" he asked quietly. DG looked up to the Jaffa and let her hand rest on his arm for a moment.

"Yes. A very bad thing happened here," she explained, nodding for him to head inside. Teal'c nodded and continued forward, staying just close enough. DG took a deep breath and turned her head as Cain's hand found hers.

"Let's go, Princess." She leaned toward him and sighed as Cain pressed a kiss to her forehead. Rounding a corner, DG saw the lantern on the floor and lifted it up, running a hand over the surface and blinking as the light began to shine. She handed the lantern to Cain and began looking for another one as she spotted Daniel staring at the glyphs on the wall.

"That doesn't look like Ancient writing, Daniel," Sam said with a grimace. Daniel glanced at it, too, and shook his head.

"No... it's Ancient..." Daniel shook his head again. "It's just... pre-Ancient. Look," he said, pointing to one of the symbols. "Earth." Sam nodded, recognizing the symbol. Daniel went back to staring at the symbols.

"Dawn of time..." he mumbled, pointing to the various images. "...light over darkness..." Pointing to another image, Daniel turned to DG and tapped the wall. "Here's your witch." DG forced a smile and stepped past him, pointing down the dark tunnel.

"It's down here," she said tentatively. SG-1 moved ahead and came to what was left of the stone face.

"Doesn't really scream 'Ancient'," Cam said with a frown. Daniel shook his head and stared at the face as he scoured through his memories of being ascended. Cam continued on, stepping through the hole and into the chamber.

"Anything?" Sam asked, noticing the look on Daniel's face.

"Nothing," Daniel huffed, shaking his head.

"More symbols in here," Cam called from the other side of the face. Daniel glanced back to DG and Cain before stepping through the hole. DG made it to the carved surface and stopped, deciding she didn't quite have the nerve to go into the witch's prison. Cain set the lantern down and stepped between the opening and DG and looked into the cave before DG gave him a slight shove.

"Go," she nodded, knowing that curiosity was getting the better of him.

Teal'c had turned behind her and was looking down the chamber. DG turned and stepped next to him. "Did you see something?"

"I am unsure," Teal'c replied. DG moved back to grab the lantern and returned to Teal'c's side, holding the lantern up.

"Is that the round thing you were lookin' for?" she asked, nodding to the DHD. Teal'c nodded and turned around.

"We have discovered the dial-home device," he announced in a booming voice. Inside the cavern, Sam, Daniel and Cam looked at each other and followed Cain back to the opening.

Daniel swept past DG and Teal'c and gave a quick glance to the space around the DHD. Not seeing a gate, he pressed down on one of the symbols.

Nothing happened. Cam aimed his flashlight along the wall as Sam pointed hers at the roof of the space. "Y'know," she said, looking up then raising her arms. "This is just about..." she started, then dropped her arms and turned slightly, aiming her flashlight up to a corner.

"Gate," she announced, causing everyone to look at the wall behind them. There, resting against the solid wall of stone, was the gate; the outer ring was nearly wedged into the space. Teal'c moved over and ran a hand along the symbols.

"Can you move it?" Cam asked. Teal'c forced the inner ring slightly and noticed that it did give, but just barely. The problem would be getting the chevrons to shift and lock.

"It is possible," Teal'c responded, but none of them assumed he was confident about it.

"How did they get the gate in here?" Daniel asked, glancing again at the opening.

"Maybe there was an earthquake," Cam offered. Sam pulled the panel off the DHD so she could examine the crystals. The DHD seemed to be dead, so if it was as simple as finding a ZPM...

"Maybe this was the first one, and they screwed up," Cain offered, waving to the gate. Everyone turned to look at him and he shrugged. "What? Obviously you've seen this thing in an open space, otherwise," he motioned to Daniel. "-you wouldn't have asked how they got it in here."

Sam and Daniel looked at each other for a moment, having the same thought.

"Throw a rock and we're practically in the Pegasus Galaxy," Sam shrugged.

"Ancients had to come from somewhere," Daniel mused. Cam stepped forward and waved his hands in the air.

"All right, time out. You're suggesting that the Ancients are from Oz?" Sam and Daniel shrugged and Cam spun around. "Anybody else think this is crazy?" Teal'c returned his focus to the gate and DG and Cain shared a look. "Where's the technology?!" Cam turned back to DG and Cain and raised his hands.

"I don't know," Sam replied. "That suit sounded pretty..." she winced slightly and shook her head.

"No offense, but, with what we saw yesterday... you guys seem to be stuck in the Wild, Wild West, here." Cam said, waving toward Cain and DG.

DG nodded. "Out here, yeah... Central City's a little more-" She glanced to Cain and shrugged. "World War Two?"

"Again," Cam nodded and turned back to Daniel. "Where's the technology?" He moved around DG and pointed to the wall near the entrance. "Besides some cave paintings that you said are 'pre-Ancient'," he repeated using air quotes. "-there's nothing about this place that says 'Ancient'."

Sam looked up from the DHD and pointed to Cain. "You're right." Cain frowned slightly, not sure what he was right about. "Hear me out," she said quickly, raising a finger to Cam and Daniel. "We've got a cave of naquadah. They're advanced enough to know the technology behind gate travel and they carve the gate out and head for who knows where."

Daniel nodded, willing to accept the theory. "Wherever they went, they perfected the technology and did their thing, up until they headed to the Pegasus Galaxy," Sam finished and ducked back underneath the DHD.

"Why wouldn't they come back?" Daniel asked, staring off into the dark.

"Why would they lock a woman up behind a giant stone face?" DG offered, not expecting an answer. Cam and Daniel glanced at each other again, but it was Teal'c who spoke.

"Perhaps she was the first to be banished," the Jaffa offered.

Cam pointed to Teal'c and nodded. "Every tradition starts somewhere."

"Banishment, to an Ancient, is like detention to us."

"They wiped your memory and dropped you, buck naked, on a random planet, Daniel," Sam reminded him from underneath the DHD.

"Okay, maybe 'detention' wasn't the right choice of words. But, to lock a person up in a cave for-" he couldn't remember what the hieroglyph said and leaned slightly, knowing he wouldn't see it from where they were standing.

"Thousands of years," DG offered, getting a nod from Daniel.

"Thank you. Thousands of years. They like to prove a point, but that's just-"

"She possessed her sister," Cain interrupted, nodding to DG. "Then _killed_ her and spent the next fifteen annuals trying to plunge the Zone into eternal darkness. That doesn't exactly sound like the actions of an innocent person."

Daniel opened his mouth to respond but pointed to DG instead. "You died?"

"I got better," she mumbled, shrugging slightly.

Cam huffed dramatically and turned, kicked at the dirt. "Am I the only person here who hasn't died once?"

"You've been close a few times," Sam offered, giving him a look.

"I'm not talking near-death," Cam grumbled. "I mean full-out dead."

"You want to die?" Daniel asked.

"Well, no," Cam groaned. "Besides, no one will ever catch up to you, Mister I've-died-eighteen-times," he continued, making a face.

Daniel gave him a look and shook his head. "It's only five," he defended. Sam breathed a laugh as she checked the control crystal for the DHD.

Cam spun around again and pointed. "That you know of! Alternate realities, altered timelines..." Cam counted off on his fingers. Daniel hitched a thumb over his shoulder to Teal'c.

"You gonna count every time Teal'c killed me in the video game, too?" Cam gave Daniel another look and shook his head.

"Whatever, Kenny." He glanced up to see Cain and DG both staring at the both of them, DG trying not to laugh. He gave them an apologetic nod as Sam pulled out from underneath the DHD.

"When you two are done," she nodded to Daniel and Cam. "I know what's wrong," she continued, nodding back to the DHD.

"Control crystal missing?" Daniel asked? Sam shook her head.

"A different crystal, actually," she shrugged. "And not one that would ever need to be pulled, really."

"Can we pull one from another DHD?" Cam asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Because scavenging DHD's and ZPM's has worked out _so_ well for us in the past?" Daniel mocked.

"What's this crystal look like?" Cain asked, giving a cautious look to DG.

Holding up two fingers, DG looked to Sam. "About so big? Green?" Sam nodded and Cain and DG sighed.

"You know where it is?" Daniel asked. DG and Cain nodded.

"Central City," DG sighed. "In my mother's office."

"Why?" Daniel started to ask, but stopped when DG shrugged.

"Eternal darkness," she explained and looked to Cain again.

"It's a two-day walk, kiddo."

"Not in the jumper," Cam offered, getting a look from Sam.

"He's right," DG nodded. "We go to Central City, get the emerald and come back. Then everybody's home in time for dinner." Cain breathed heavily and turned away slightly.

"And if it doesn't work?" They both knew that the emerald was probably just a chuck of rock now, and probably wouldn't serve the purpose SG-1 needed it for.

"We go back they way we came," Cam stated. "And the next time the Daedalus is in the area, we stop by and say 'Hi'," he added with a smile.

"Where are you gonna park that thing?" Cain asked, raising an eyebrow. DG smiled and reached up to pat his cheek.

"We'll be right back. Tell embarrassing stories," she said, waving between Sam and Cain. Cain gave Cam a look that pretty much threatened the younger man's life if any harm came to the princess. Teal'c continued to try and rotate the ring manually as Sam moved over to Daniel.

"You're pathetic," she said quietly, noting the look on his face. She nodded toward the entrance and Daniel stepped away, turning at the corner and throwing up his arms.

"It's the Emerald City, Sam." Sam shook her head again and moved over to Teal'c's side to help him with the ring. Cain let out a deep breath and glanced at the two of them.

"What do you need me to do?" Sam smiled and nodded him over.

* * *

"Too bad we couldn't call ahead," Cam said and he maneuvered the cloaked jumper toward Central City.

"Phone lines are running through Central City," DG informed him. "Haven't managed to get them strung out yet. What we need is a damn cell tower," she mused quietly, getting a smile out of both Cam and Daniel.

"There's your Emerald City, Doctor," DG said a moment later, pointing out the viewscreen as the spires of the city came into view. Daniel glanced out over the buildings and frowned slightly.

"Did you really think it would be green, Jackson?" Cam asked with a laugh.

DG pointed between them. "There. There's a large garden around the back." Cam nodded and dropped the jumper to the ground with a slight thump. As they regrouped by the hatch, DG nodded to the firearms.

"I swear, no one will shoot you..." She gave Cam a look and he frowned. She'd seen that look a hundred times from Cain. "It's gonna be complicated enough to explain to my mother how I'm back and not with Cain. Trust me," she asked.

"All right," Cam huffed, detaching his rifle clip and dropping the weapon to the chair. DG waved the men across the garden and they ducked inside the palace and headed up the main staircase.

"Hey, Raw," DG smiled, waving to the Viewer as he stared from her to the two strangers. "Is my mother-" she asked, pointing over her shoulder. Raw simply nodded, still confused as to her presence when he'd seen her off not two days before.

DG moved about halfway down the hall and knocked on one of the doors, then pushed it open. "Hey, Mom," she announced, getting a similar look of surprise from the Queen. Cam and Daniel stopped in the doorway as DG moved around the desk, kissed her mother's cheek and then opened a large box behind the desk.

The Queen glanced to the two men and gave DG another look. "Oh, sorry!" DG said, slapping her palm to her forehead. "Mom, this is Colonel Mitchell and Doctor Jackson," she said, pointing to each of them. Cam waved and Daniel bowed his head slightly. "They're from the Other Side. Technically, Earth," she said with a smile.

DG held up the emerald and nodded. "We need to borrow this. Have a good day." She stepped around the desk again and stopped at the look on Daniel's face. Sighing, DG turned back to her mother. "Sorry. Colonel, Doctor. This is my mother, the Queen of the Outer Zone."

"How do you do, gentlemen?" she asked carefully, still not sure exactly what was going on. "DG, where is-"

"He's in Finaqua, with their friends. We're trying to help them get home."

"And you need the Emerald of the Eclipse?" DG nodded.

"We weren't expecting to run into anyone so soon, ma'am," Cam spoke up, figuring that a slight stretch of the truth wouldn't hurt. "We would have brought a proper detail. But, if we can get home, we'll return with... a proper detail," he huffed, realizing he should have thought that response out a bit more.

The Queen nodded and raised her shoulders slightly. "It was lovely to meet you, gentlemen," she forced out, not entirely sure what to say. "I look forward to speaking with you at a later date?"

Daniel smiled and nodded. "You have a lovely... planet," he said, rolling his eyes and cursing Cam for letting the incomprehension spill over to him. DG shook her head and pushed the both of them toward the door.

"I'll explain when we get back, Mom," she said with a smile and a nod.

They were halfway down the stairs when DG heard Glitch's voice coming from the second floor landing. "DG! I didn't know you were here."

"Wasn't here, Glitch. You didn't see me!" she hollered, raising a hand as she moved down the stairs with Cam and Daniel.

"Oh," Glitch nodded. "Well, it was nice not seeing you!" he called after her.

* * *

"Really?" Cain asked as Sam nodded.

"I swear," she responded, holding up a hand.

Cain chuckled and turned slightly as Cam announced: "If it's about me, it's not true."

DG handed the emerald to Sam and looked at Cain. "My mother is probably going to show up tomorrow." Cain made a face but his attention soon turned to Sam, who huffed as she pulled herself up from underneath the DHD.

"Okay," she breathed then reached down to press one of the symbols. The ring began to spin and there was a large clunk, followed by a cloud of dust. Daniel and Cam collected the gear from in front of the gate and pulled Cain and DG aside.

"Hang on a second, Sam," Daniel said, moving to the gate and then counting off steps between the gate and the DHD. Sam realized what he had and her eyes went wide as she ran the numbers.

"That's gonna be damn close," she breathed.

"Can we move the DHD?" Cam asked.

"How else would Russia have gotten it from Germany?" Daniel asked.

"We don't have the equipment to move it now," Sam informed them. "Unless you can bench press a truck?" she nodded to Cam.

"What's wrong?" DG asked.

Sam pointed to the gate. "When the gate connects, an extremely unstable energy vortex kinda... wooshes out," she motioned with her hand, "-then sucks back in."

"And standing in front of it's not a good idea?" Cain assumed. SG-1 shook their heads and Cain nodded. "Good to know."

"There's no way your ship is gonna get in here, either," DG pointed out. Cam and Daniel turned and looked at each other, both realizing they'd forgotten about the jumper.

Cam pointed to the gate. "One of us goes back, makes sure it connects from the SGC. Then we take the jumper back the way we got here in the first place."

"You want to dial the gate right now, be my guest," Sam offered. Cam shook his head and turned to Daniel, who shook his head as well.

"How much room do you need?" DG asked. Everyone looked at her. "A couple of inches? A foot? What?"

"I'd prefer a couple of feet, at least," Sam nodded. DG nodded and stepped between the gate and Sam.

"So... here?" she asked, drawing a line in the dirt with her foot. Sam nodded. "Okay," DG said, pointing to the DHD. "Go for it."

"Uh-" Cam and Daniel said together.  
"I don't think so, Princess," Cain shouted.

DG glared at Cain. "I can do this." She turned back to Sam and nodded. "Do it." Sam gave a concerned look to the rest of her team and they shrugged, not sure what was going on. Cain huffed and clenched his jaw.

_'God, I hope I can do this,'_ she thought as her arms raised and her palms faced the gate. The walls shook as the ring continued to spin and DG had to blink as the dust swirled around her. "Now," Sam yelled and placed her hand on the red button.

DG closed her eyes as the blue light rushed toward her and she pushed back with everything she had. It only took a moment for the woosh of the vortex, but it seemed like an eternity to DG. As the vortex collapsed on itself, DG curled her arms back and stretched.

"There's some power behind that sucker," she said with a half-laugh. If Cain was mad at her for stepping in the middle of the gunplay, he was going to rip her a new one for that.

"That's not normal," Cam stated, as if DG didn't already know about her abilities.

"Because we're so used to seeing normal?" Daniel snapped, getting a look from Sam.

Sam stepped over to DG's side and gave the girl a look. "How did you do that?"

DG shrugged. "Same way I can do this," she said, holding out a hand and using the magic to pull the flashlight from Cam's hand. Letting it hover a few inches in front of him for a second, DG glanced back to Sam and shrugged again.

"Like I said," DG nodded to Sam. "If it has to do with this cave," she said, indicating the stone walls. "-it's me and my sister."

"Who's got the GDO?" Daniel asked, looking at the gate. Cain had moved over and was staring at the blue swirls, trying to wrap his brain around the fact the solid stone wall was no longer stone.

Or solid.

Teal'c stepped next to him and gave Cain a nod. "The technology is fascinating."

"And you walk through that?" Cain snorted, pointing to the event horizon. Teal'c gave him a single nod.

"This is Colonel Carter, come in SGC," Sam said into the walkie-talkie on her shoulder.

"**We read you, Colonel**," they heard Walter's scratchy voice reply. Sam looked up and SG-1 all nodded to each other. Cam nodded to Sam and she turned to pick up her pack.

"Walter, can you prepare a care package?" Daniel asked into his own walkie-talkie.

"**Yes, Doctor Jackson**," Walter replied. Daniel shook his head at the look from Sam and turned to DG.

"For your mother. It's a sort of diplomatic gesture when we meet a new race," he nodded.

"All goes well, I'll be back in a few minutes," she said with a grin. "You might want to clear the-" she said, motioning to the area surrounding the gate. DG leaned around Daniel to watch Sam disappear into the event horizon and she gave a look to Cain.

The gate shut off a moment later, plunging the cavern back into darkness and Cain and DG both moved over to the stone wall as Cam and Daniel moved the rest of the gear down the tunnel a bit.

"I'd say that's a new one, Princess," Cain said, looking to DG with a blank expression. DG mirrored the look and nodded, running a hand along the stone surface again. They both jumped at a clunking sound about five minutes later and were grabbed and Cam.

"Okay, kids, you can feel the wall later," he said, pulling them out of the danger zone. As the seventh chevron locked, DG and Cain saw the vortex push out as it was meant to and the color drained from both their faces. DG laughed nervously and turned slightly, just enough to see the murderous look on Cain's face.

A moment later, Sam came back through with a smaller pack on her shoulder and holding a dark box. "Guess who's back," she said with a cheeky grin, aimed at Daniel and Cam. Daniel huffed and dropped his head dramatically.

"Well, at least she didn't bring her along," Cam told Daniel, smiling because he new that if anyone wasn't going to hear the end of this one, it was Daniel.

"Guess who she called," Sam said with a forced smile as the gate shut off behind her.

"No," Daniel breathed. Sam nodded. "How did she get his number?"

"I don't know, Daniel," Sam shook her head. She lifted the box up to show to Daniel. "One care package." Daniel took the box from her and nodded for DG and Cain to follow him out of the cave. Teal'c and Cam picked up the rest of their gear and Sam grabbed Daniel's pack before following them outside.

"So this has a signature that we'll recognize. You just dial the gate, throw it in and we'll get back to you."

"Why throw it in?" DG asked, taking the offered box.

"We've got a... thing on the gate. It's a safety-measure and not a good way to die," Daniel said with a smile.

"I told General Landry about the DHD and he said that, as long as you want diplomatic procedures to proceed," she motioned to DG and Cain; DG nodded. "He'll authorize a crew to move the DHD."

Cam threw a look over his shoulder as they cleared the entrance to the cave and waved. "This place get a lot of traffic?"

"It does not appear so," Teal'c replied, taking in the surroundings. DG stopped and handed the box over to Cain then turned and faced the hole. Raising her hand, DG closed her eyes and mumbled something for a moment. Opening her eyes, DG dropped her hand and looked at SG-1.

"Only someone who's already been here will see it." She shrugged and shook her head. "Unless they're really looking, I mean." If it was good enough to hide the Grey Gale, it could protect the gate.

"When we get back to the jumper, I'll write down the gate address for you, just in case," Daniel offered. "Just make sure that you're backed up against the far wall," he half-laughed. DG nodded.

"We'll be back before then," Cam offered. "Unless some major catastrophe hits in the next week." Cain snorted and turned as Sam shoved Daniel's pack into his arms. Cam handed her rifle over and she took point, walking behind with Teal'c.

"The Daedalus arrives in Atlantis tonight, give or take a few hours," she announced. "Puts them back in Earth's orbit sometime next week, which should give you plenty of time to work on your sales pitch, Daniel."

Daniel rolled his eyes and turned as DG asked: "How will we know when you've come back? It's one thing to park your jumper in the garden when I'm along, but the guards might freak a little bit if you just show up."

"Oh," Sam said, shrugging the pack off her arm and holding it out for Cam to take, as he was closer. She nodded for him to pass it along to Daniel and said: "There's a walkie-talkie in there, and an extra battery. Also grabbed you the paper and a couple of-"

"Oh my God, Snickers!" DG shrieked and spun around with a smile. "Thank you, Colonel."

Sam smiled and replied: "I wasn't sure what you liked, and the mess was busy."

"Who wants some?" DG asked, holding the candy bar up. Daniel and Cam shook their heads and Teal'c simply smiled. DG broke off one end and tried to collect the drooping caramel before holding the piece out for Cain. "Oh, try it," she huffed and Cain finally took it.

"It's going to be at least a week, so I'd not even bother with the walkie-talkie until... Thursday. Of course, that's assuming the length of day here is the same as Earth..." Sam trailed off, beginning to run the math in her head.

"The two suns kinda jack everything up," DG said, covering her mouth as she chewed on the candy bar. "I haven't figured out the time change yet," she added with a shrug. "I'll turn it on in, like... six days." Cam and Daniel nodded and Sam smiled as she watched Cain snatch the candy bar from DG a moment later.

* * *

"Travel safe," DG said, hugging Sam. "And thank you for the Snickers," she added, which made Sam grin.

"No problem," she laughed. "I'll make sure there's a case when we get back."

"Make it Mister Goodbar and we're allies for life," DG informed her. Sam laughed again and nodded. She liked this girl.

Cain shook Cam and Daniel's hands then turned to Teal'c. "It's been a pleasure, gentlemen." Teal'c bowed his head slightly and smiled at DG as she and stepped over with Sam. Cain nodded to Sam again and DG gave them all a wave as SG-1 moved back into the jumper.

As the jumper lifted off the ground and moved farther away from Finaqua, Cain sighed. "I gotta say, kiddo," Cain started, his hand finding hers. "Life with you is never dull." DG smiled and leaned toward Cain to kiss him.

"Kinda shows up the whole week," DG said with a half-frown.

"I think we'll survive," Cain replied, pulling her into his arms and smiling.

"Well, there is one thing I wanted to do," DG informed him, pressing her lips to his jaw carefully.

"What's that?" Cain asked as his hands moved up her back.

"We have to wait for it to get dark," she sighed, kissing the same spot on the other side of his face.

"Why's that?"

DG pulled back and smiled. "Because it involves you, me and a swing."

Cain tried not to smile, as his mind went to only one possible place, but it was hopeless. "Really?" he asked, trying to seem oblivious. DG smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Indeed."

* * *

-a few weeks later-

"Mom," the Queen heard, and looked up from her stack of papers to see DG leaning into the doorway. "They're ready," she smiled. The Queen nodded and pushed herself up from the desk.

As the women stepped into the conference room, the Queen nodded to Cam and Daniel, recognizing them from the previous visit, but it was the silver-haired man at the end of the table who caught her eye.

He stood up as Daniel smacked him on the arm and straightened his jacket before giving the Queen a grin and holding his hand out. DG nodded to her mother and the Queen took his hand carefully.

"Jack O'Neill. It's a pleasure."


End file.
